FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A central Kentucky Democrat will be pushing legislation in the upcoming legislative session that would abolish the death penalty in Kentucky.

Democratic state Rep. Carl Rollins of Midway drafted a measure that would make Kentucky's stiffest sentence life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Rollins bill calls for the term "capital punishment" to be stricken altogether from state law.

Similar legislation has been introduced intermittently in Kentucky over the past 25 years, but has never garnered enough support to pass.

The Rev. Patrick Delahanty, chairman of the Kentucky Coalition To Abolish The Death Penalty, said Monday he's heartened that Rollins already has the bill posted and ready to be filed when lawmakers convene on Jan. 8. Delahanty, a Catholic priest, said he senses growing support for the measure.

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